Strangers on the Internet
by Torchwhovian
Summary: Steve doesn't have a lot of friends. He has the Avengers but they aren't necessarily his friends. He ventures online and finds something he didn't think he'd find: a true friend. But he can't deny the pull to want to meet in real life, despite wanting to keep his new friend safe from the life he leads. The need for companionship isn't one that can be refused. Steve/OC
1. Chapter 1

_MindifISlytherin: You up?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Yeah. Having trouble sleeping.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Me too. Long night at work. I was surprised you're up this early though._

Steve glanced at his clock at the bottom of his computer screen. 4:39 am was early, even for him but as he told his online friend, he was having trouble sleeping. Luckily, MindifISlytherin (or Slytherin as he called her) worked long hours at night, usually coming online around three.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: How was work?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Same old nonsense every night. I can't wait until I get enough money to start my shop._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I checked out your portfolio, by the way. It's impressive.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Do you mind telling that to my parents? They think it's a waste of time. lol_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Nah. They probably just want you to have job security.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Job security is for wusses. Personally I love the pressure of not knowing if I'll be able to pay my electric bill._

Steve smiled, chuckling to himself softly. Slytherin definitely had a way of getting him out of his own head.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Well, a lot of people thrive under pressure. :)**_

 _MindIfISlytherin: Pressure is what produces diamonds. :)_

Steve was still typing his response when another message popped up.

 _MindifISlytherin: You should send me your art sometime. Maybe I could hire you as one of my artists when I finally open my tattoo parlor._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Flattering but I don't know anything about tattoos. I definitely don't have the skill required to ink someone else's skin.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Maybe you'll let me give you a tattoo sometime. The first one is free for my favorite early morning online buddy._

Steve snorted, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Yeah, right. And how is this gonna happen when we don't know each other offline?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: We'll meet someday. And when we do, you are getting some ink, my friend. :) In the meantime, I have to sign off. Early day and not enough caffeine to truly wake me up. Night Missy._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Sweet dreams.**_

Steve closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair with a sigh, resting his hands on the top of his head. He knew he should at least try sleeping for a few hours. There was a press conference at the Avengers Tower at ten and he needed to be rested. Standing and leaning back to stretch his muscles, he twisted a few times before heading to bed.

-0-

"Wake up!" Penny burst through the door to her roommate's bedroom. "My alarm didn't go off! I'm late for my first day!"

"Pen, you're my friend and I love you but it's so early that I may actually kill you." Roman grumbled, not opening her eyes and pulling the comforter tighter around her body. "Just get ready and go. Don't whine about it."

"I need you to give me a ride. I'll never get a cab right now." The sound of plastic coat hangers clacking against each other indicated she was going through Roman's closet. "Please?"

Roman half groaned, half sighed but managed to get herself into an upright sitting position. Widening her eyes in an attempt to wake up, she ran her fingers through her hair, brushing it out of her face and got out of bed. Penny had retrieved a black cardigan, something that Roman had forgotten was even in her closet in the first place.

"How do I look?" Wearing a black pencil skirt and crisp red top with sensible flats (Penny was five feet, eleven inches and hated towering over others) she was the epitome of professional. Except for one thing: the tattoo on her wrist, _love_ written in a girlish, curlicue font.

"Your tattoo is showing. I'd probably cover that up since you're working at the fancy Stark Tower." Roman tugged on skinny jeans, hopping a little to fit in them just right. Her boots and a jacket followed before she shoved her hair in a messy ponytail. "But be warned, this is the only free pass you get. Wake me up this early again and I'll murder you in your sleep."

"Duly noted." Penny grabbed a clunky bracelet and put it over the tattoo. "Can we go now?"

"After you, princess." Not bothering to brush her teeth, Roman followed her roommate as she practically ran to the street below, her motorcycle waiting in the spot in front of their building. Patting the gas tank fondly, Roman straddled the bike, handing a helmet back to Penny, who shook her head.

"It'll give me helmet hair." She pouted, settling in behind her brunette friend.

"Helmet or no go." Safety had been pounded into her head from the beginning of her riding lessons, courtesy of her dad. Penny huffed but put on the helmet, whining about her hair. Moments later, the engine roared to life and, her own helmet in place, Roman started weaving in and out of traffic, more than likely breaking several traffic laws. She got Penny to work in record time, with only minutes to spare. Penny jumped off the bike, ripped off the helmet and bent over, flipping her hair over then standing up quickly, giving her hair some volume. Blowing a kiss to Roman, she ran in the building, disappearing from sight a second later.

Roman watched her friend scamper away for a moment before she caught a glimpse of a coffee cart. Heart torn between getting more sleep and coffee, she waited for a chance to get her motorcycle into traffic. It was rush hour so the ride home took longer than she would've liked but finally she was able to fall back into bed.

-0-

Penny practically ran up the stairs to fifteenth floor, where her new boss, Pepper Potts, waited. She was breathing hard by the time she reached the right floor, but managed to make it to her desk and throw her purse under it, pretending to be there on time when Ms. Potts came through the door.

"Penny, can you come in please?" She paused on the way to her office. "And bring the files for the Avengers press conference today."

"Of course, Ms. Potts." Penny grabbed several files and followed her boss. "It looks like all of the major newspapers will be attending and there's extra security in place around the building."

"Wonderful." Pepper took the stack of files and started to skim them. "Captain Rogers and Ms. Romanoff will be here shortly with Mr. Stark. Please bring them in as soon as they arrive."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Oh, and Penny?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Welcome aboard."

-0-

Steve detested press conferences, mostly he hated being gawked at. It brought back memories of his show back in the forties. Natasha seemed at ease but then again, she seemed comfortable in almost any setting. It must be part of her training, he reasoned as they rode the elevator up to Pepper's office. Stepping off, he noticed a new secretary sitting at the desk. She smiled up at them as they approached.

"Hi. We're here to see Pepper." He told her.

"Of course. Names, please?"

"Captain Rogers and Natasha Romanoff." She must be one of the only people in New York who didn't know him.

"Right. She had to step out but she said to send you right in." The secretary glanced at Natasha then back at Steve, blushing scarlet. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you, Captain. I'm a bit frazzled this morning."

"Not a problem." He assured her with a smile. "It's actually kinda nice."

Natasha arched an eyebrow but said nothing as they were escorted into the empty office, waiting until the door closed, giving them a semblance of privacy, before speaking. "She's cute."

"Not interested, Natasha." Steve already knew where this conversation was heading.

"What?" Nat asked, feigning innocence. "She seems nice. Or do girls need to be online for them to strike your fancy?"

"Nobody's fancy has been stricken." Natasha snorted. "We're just friends."

"You talk to her this morning?"

"Yeah." Steve admitted.

"Early?"

"Yeah."

Natasha gave him that knowing half smile. "I could find her in less than five minutes, you know. All I need is a computer."

"No, Natasha."

"Captain Rogers." Pepper breezed into the office, Tony in stride next to her. "Agent Romanoff. Shall we go over the questions for the press conference?" 

**A/N: So this is just a story that was in my head that I couldn't shake. I do hope everyone enjoys it. Feel free to leave a review/follow/favorite if you'd like. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Penny was waiting outside of the Tower for Roman to pick her up when Steve was suddenly next to her. "Hello, Captain Rogers."

"Steve." He corrected, offering a hand. She shook it with a smile.

"Penny. I'm Ms. Pott's assistant."

"Right. Are you waiting for a ride?"

"Yeah. My roommate should be here soon." Penny glanced past Steve, to check traffic for the distinct sound of Roman's motorcycle.

"Good." Steve replied politely. The pair stood there, awkwardly, until Roman's arrival interrupted the tension.

"You're late." Penny chastised her roommate, approaching her bike.

"You're lucky I'm here." Roman pushed the visor up on her helmet. "There's crazy traffic and I was in a business meeting."

"Nice bike." Steve chirped, turning the girls' attention to him.

"Thanks." Roman replied with a questioning glance at Penny.

"Oh! Captain Rogers, this is my roommate, Roman."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"I'm sure it is." Roman turned her attention to Penny. "You ready?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't want you to be late for work." The blonde took her seat on the motorcycle. "See you later, Steve."

He gave a one handed wave with a half smile as the two drove off. He was headed home, telling himself he wouldn't check his laptop obsessively until Slytherin came online but he knew it was a lie. To distract himself in the meantime, he went to a hobby store to pick up new pencils and sketch paper but that only put him back an hour, leaving him with at least ten more before Slytherin was usually online.

-0-

Roman walked into the club's locker room and dropped her duffel bag on the vanity table assigned to her, scrubbing her face with her hands before inspecting her reflection. She applied her makeup, simple but sexy, then curled her hair so it fell in soft waves down her back. Applying perfume at her wrists, rubbing them together gently, then a spritz behind her ears, Roman sniffed the bottle with a smirk before putting it down. Next came her clothes. She changed into her outfit for the night, a silver bra and panty set, then sat down to pull on her heels, fastening the clasp around her ankle. When she was standing, the heels gave her a good six extra inches. Checking her reflection once more in the mirror, she smiled at herself, deciding she looked great before claiming the stage in the main room.

Most women that came into the strip club (not that there were many besides the other dancers) always said they could never do what she did but Roman wasn't ashamed. There was something about dancing on the stage, seeing the lust in her customer's eyes and knowing she put it there, that made her self esteem swell. She wasn't an ugly girl, and since she ate right and worked out, her body was in excellent shape. Confidence was a huge plus in this business and she had no shortage of it. The main stage wasn't where she made most of her money, however. It was in the private rooms. She had a few regulars who knew the rules and followed them. There were also those who felt entitled to what she wasn't offering and that was why she took the self defense classes.

By the time her shift ended, she was bone tired, not having slept well that day, so she grabbed a cup of coffee on the way home, her hard earned money tucked into the garter belt hidden under her jeans. Popping off the top, she blew on the hot liquid, cooling on it enough to take a careful sip. Swearing as it scalded her tongue anyway, Roman wasn't paying attention when the mugger assaulted her. Her coffee spilled on the pavement when his fist first made contact with her face, splitting her lower lip open. Coppery blood coated her tongue and her instincts kicked in as she swung her leg, making contact with his knee. He dropped to the cement and Roman used her purse to smack him in the head, giving her enough time to run away and to the relative safety of her motorcycle. Straddling the seat, she started the bike and sped away, licking the blood off her lips.

Penny was asleep by the time she got home, thankfully. She was constantly worried about Roman working late hours and this wouldn't make her feel any better. Throwing her bag on the counter, Roman opened the freezer, grabbing an ice cube and applying it to her lip, wincing at the cold.

"Ro? Is that you?" Penny's sleepy voice came from the couch as she sat up.

"Shit." Roman swore under breath. "Yeah. It's me. Just go back to sleep."

"What happened?" The blonde noticed her lip and came closer to inspect it.

"Nothing. Just an asshole. I'm fine." Roman assured her with a smile. "Go back to sleep. You have to be up in a few hours."

Penny was unsure but agreed to leave Roman alone. As far as Roman went, she was ready for a hot shower to soothe her tight muscles and then crawl into bed.

-0-

 _ **MindifISlytherin: If I didn't know better, I'd think you were waiting up for me.**_

Steve's reply was quick even though he didn't have much time. There was a mission he had just been called out for.

 _WhatDidIMiss: Are you just testing me to see if I am?_

 _ **MindifISlytherin: Nah. Just giving you a hard time. How was your day?**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: Same as usual. Nothing special. You?_

 _ **MindifISlytherin: I got some more drawings done today. One step closer to finishing my portfolio.**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: I can't talk long. Something came up. But maybe I could give you my number and you could call me later?_

 _ **MindifISlytherin: Don't you know that you're not supposed to give out your number to strangers online?**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: You're not a stranger._

 _ **MindifISlytherin: I could be. Maybe I'm an axe murderer and I'm trying to lull you into a false sense of security. ;)**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: I think I could handle myself. :) I really do have to go, though. Here's my number. Call me if you want to later._

Natasha would have a field day with this if she found out. She had been on his case over the last several years to find a girlfriend, or at least someone to date casually but he hadn't had a lot of interest in that. There was always the next mission and the very real possibility that he wouldn't come back. Sometimes he wondered if that would really be such a bad thing. His family was dead, his friends were dead, his fellow soldiers were almost all dead, and Bucky was in the wind. There wasn't much for him here anyway. Then one day he was online, trying to catch up on the Harry Potter books, asking questions in a forum, when Slytherin messaged him. And it was nice to have a friend, someone who knew him as something other than Captain America, someone to come back to, even if she had no idea the impact she had on him.

Steve made sure his phone was plugged in and charging before he left, wanting to be able to call her back if she did call. Locking his apartment, he went off to do his job, and hoping that he'd come back to his friend.

 **A/N: So the response to this story has blown me away. I didn't expect so many follows/favorites and you guys rock. Feel free to leave a review because they feed my muse and honestly, I love hearing what you guys have to say. You guys rock! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

_WhatDidIMiss: Are you online?_

 _WhatDidIMiss: I guess not. Just wanted to check in. Haven't heard from you in a few days._

 _WhatDidIMiss: Let me know if you're okay. Please._

-0-

Pepper signed several documents, sliding them over to Penny when she was done. "Do you need a dress?"

"I'm sorry?" Penny's brow furrowed in confusion. "A dress for what?"

"The benefit tonight, of course. I've decided to keep you close by in case I need you." Pepper replied. "So, do you need a dress?"

"Um, I suppose so. I don't really have anything that's suitable for a benefit."

"I'll have some sent over to your apartment. Just leave your measurements." The red head smiled at her assistant. "Please also make sure that the rest of the guests have RSVP'd."

"Yes, ma'am."

When Penny got home, Roman was waiting for her. Dozens of garment bags were hanging on racks, scattered across the common room of their apartment.

"What is all this?" Roman asked, shoving one of the racks out of her way with her foot.

"Dresses for the Avengers benefit tonight." Penny put her purse on the counter and went to one of the racks, opening a garment bag and gasping softly at the silk dress hanging inside. "Apparently, I have to go."

"So you bought every dress in the area?"

"Pepper sent them over because I didn't have anything appropriate."

"Well, I won't wait up." Roman shuffled into the kitchen to make a sandwich. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"You can't leave me alone with these rich people." Penny's eyes widened in panic as she practically ran into the kitchen. "You know it makes me nervous."

"That's what alcohol is for." She took a huge bite of her sandwich.

"Please, Ro? You can be my plus one."

Roman rolled her eyes and sighed in defeat. "Fine. I can miss one night of work but the booze better be top shelf."

Penny squealed happily. "That means you need to pick a dress. I'm sure we can find one here for you."

"You know my size." The brunette took her sandwich into the living room, plopping on the couch and taking another bite. "Just pick something."

"You're sucking all of the fun right out of this." Penny pouted but she started going through the dresses, finally settling on a pale pink strapless gown, the gauzy fabric floating around her body as she moved. In Roman's opinion, it was more prom than fancy benefit but she didn't comment out loud, groaning when she was handed a garment bag. Penny looked gorgeous either way, especially when she pinned her hair up off her neck, curling a few tendrils around her face. She used a light pink lipstick, coupled with winged eyeliner and flirty eyelashes. A perfect picture of the girl next door, she was ready to break hearts.

Roman's dress was a deep emerald, with a sweetheart neckline and flowing from her waist. She was glad that ponytails were considered stylish enough to pair with a formal gown, pulling her hair back. Unfortunately, since her hair was away from her face, it put a lot of focus on her features, leaving little room for errors. One thing she always invested in was good makeup, and she had quite a bit. Her vanity was the other big indulgence she had bought shortly after getting her job at the strip club. It was white, the paint distressed, and fluorescent bulbs around the circular mirror. Soon enough, a perfectly made up reflection was staring back at her.

Picking up her favorite pair of stilettos, black with small silver studs around the ankle strap, she fastened them around her ankles and stood as Penny came into her room. "You look awesome, Penny."

"So do you." Penny was grinning ear to ear.

"Maybe tonight you'll meet your Prince Charming." Roman teased, grabbing a small black clutch and shoving her phone in it, along with a few crumpled twenties, just in case.

Penny snorted but a moment later, the girls were out the door and heading downstairs to claim a cab. When they got to the street however, a limousine was waiting for them, courtesy of Pepper Potts.

"I love your job." Roman slid into the backseat next to Penny and immediately started pushing every button she could find.

"Ro, can you act like you've been in a limo before?" Penny scolded her, embarrassed by her antics.

"Not everybody came from money, blondie. Some of us _haven't_ been in a limo before."

"Still, be classy tonight."

"Hey, Stark used to be my best customer before your boss made an honest man out of him."

"Yeah, maybe don't mention that." Penny suggested. "I just really want Pepper to like me so please just keep it to yourself."

"I'll behave." Roman promised. "It's Stark who you have to worry about blabbing."

Penny sighed. "Tonight, can you just...not be a stripper? Just be anybody else?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were embarrassed by me."

This was a conversation they had never approached and Roman never once cared what anybody thought about her profession. She loved being a stripper but for some reason, having Penny ashamed of her hurt.

"No, of course not." Penny started to say.

"You know what? Stop the car." Roman called to the driver, shoving open the door before the limo had a chance to really stop. Clambering out, she ignored Penny's repeated protests and slammed the door behind her. Storming off, she could hear Penny shouting after her and whirled around to see the blonde with her head and upper body poking up out of the moon roof.

"You know I didn't mean it like that, Ro."

"Screw you, Penelope. Go to your fancy shindig and drink champagne and dance with rich boys while you kiss your boss' ass."

"Where are you going?"

"Why do you care?"

"You know I didn't mean it like that!" Penny shouted and Roman stopped moving. Her roommate never lost her cool. Now that she had her attention, Penny spoke again, "These people can help you earn money for your shop but they need to see you in a professional atmosphere. Trust me, I don't care what you do. I just don't want you to accidentally screw yourself out of an opportunity."

Ashamed that she jumped to the wrong conclusion, Roman grimaced and got back in the limo. "I'm sorry."

Penny smiled and nudged her. "It's okay. Now, let's get drunk on rich people liquor."

A Stark benefit is always impressive and Roman found herself slightly overwhelmed by the grandeur. As she accepted a glass of champagne from a waiter, she realized that she saw quite a few of her customers here. She knew they were mostly rich, old men, but she had no idea how rich they actually were. Navigating this would be harder than she thought. She was hopeful that with their wives around, they keep their comments to themselves. Lost in thought, she almost bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"It's all right, ma'am." He dabbed at the champagne on his tuxedo sleeve.

"It figures I'd bump into someone and I'm not even drunk yet." Roman chuckled.

He laughed with her. "Well, I'd recommend being drunk before coming these kinds of things. Stark has a tendency to go overboard."

"Don't I know it." She muttered.

He quirked an eyebrow up at her. "How do you know Tony?"

"He's...an old business associate." She diverted. "How do you know him?"

"We kind of work together, I guess." He extended a hand. "Steve Rogers."

"Roman Williams." She shook his hand. "So, I'm guessing you're _the_ Steve Rogers."

"I guess so."

"Right." Roman looked around awkwardly. "I'm going to the bar. You want anything?"

That was the last thing she remembered until she woke up with a masculine arm draped over her waist and sun shining obnoxiously in her eyes. Rolling over with a groan, she found herself staring into the eyes of Captain America. "Oops."

It was harder than she initially thought to squirm her way out from under his arm but she managed without waking him and pulled on a t shirt and shorts before sneaking out of her room. Penny was drinking a cup of coffee on the couch, watching _New Girl_ on Netflix. With a knowing smile, she chirped, "Good morning."

"Shut up." Roman shuffled into the kitchen to get coffee and some ibuprofen for her pounding hangover.

Penny practically danced into the kitchen, smiling like the cat that got the canary. "So...who's our visitor?"

"Oh, geez." Tossing the small pills back with coffee, she groaned. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine. I have to go to work. But I want all the details when I get back."

"It's Saturday. You have to work on a Saturday?"

"Eh, Pepper needs me. Last night she said I'm invaluable." Penny shrugged. "I'll see you later."

"Bye."

Well, there was an Avenger in her bed and now her roommate was gone. Did she kick out the perfect specimen of manhood or let him stay a little longer? Rubbing her eyes revealed that she had left her makeup on and slept in it so her first step was washing off the caked on mess. Once she was washed and moisturized, she ran a brush through her hair. She heard footsteps in the living room so she went to greet her guest. "Morning."

"Um, hi." Steve seemed embarrassed standing there in his tuxedo pants and unbuttoned white shirt. "How are you feeling?"

"Not horrible." Roman replied. "I've got some sweats that'll probably fit you, if you want them. An ex left them here, so I hope that doesn't bother you."

"I'm good." Steve shrugged. "Listen, about last night-"

"Steve, you don't have to say anything."

"-I don't ever do anything like that."

Roman took another drink of her coffee. "It's fine. I'm not expecting an explanation."

Steve sighed in relief. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Nope. I'm good." She smiled at him. "Want some coffee?"

"Thanks."

After several awkward minutes, Steve spoke again. "Do you want to get breakfast?"

"You really don't have to do this. Sex doesn't have to equal a pseudo-date."

"I know. I'm just starving."

"Fair enough." Roman said. "I have to work in a few hours anyway so no, but thanks for the offer."

"No problem." He stood and started toward the door, pausing halfway there. "Can I call you sometime?"

Roman sighed. "Steve, hear me loud and clear. This was a one night stand. You don't owe me anything, really. It was just physical. I'm not looking for anything more."

"Right. See you around, then."

-0-

 _ **MindifISlytherin: Sorry if I worried you. I've been pulling extra shifts to make extra money.**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: No problem. Just wanted to check in on you._

 _ **MindifISlytherin: That's sweet. :) What have you been up to the last few days?**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: Had to do some work stuff that I hate doing. I really miss the old days, you know?_

 _ **MindifISlytherin: Yeah. Everything seemed simpler when we were kids. But now we're old enough to drink and buy lotto tickets, so maybe we came out ahead.**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: :) Maybe we did. Not to be weird but I was a little surprised that you didn't call._

 _ **MindifISlytherin: So was I. But then again, you could be a serial killer or like...I don't know-Tony Stark or something.**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: I'm definitely not Tony Stark._

 _ **MindifISlytherin: Still. It's always risky meeting people online. It's safer this way.**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: I know._

 _WhatDidIMiss: Can I admit something?_

 _ **MindifISlytherin: Sure. What is it?**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: I'd like to meet in real life._

 _ **MindifISlytherin: …...**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: Not in a creepy way. Just...you're my friend. It'd be nice to have someone to do friend stuff with._

 _ **MindifISlytherin: Maybe some day.**_

 _WhatDidIMiss: Fair enough._

 **A/N: Well, well, well. Steve had a one night stand. I'm kind of taking a different turn on his personality and I'm hoping it's not coming across as too OOC. Let me know what you guys think about that. The response to this story has been awesome and we're only a few chapters in. You guys rock!**


	4. Chapter 4

_The night of the Stark Benefit_

Steve hated dressing up in the suit and pretending to enjoy himself at these benefits. Grumbling under his breath as he tried (for the thousandth time) to tie his bow tie, he was on the verge of giving up when there was a knock at his door. Opening it revealed Clint and his girlfriend, Charlie. He moved out of his way to let them in.

"You're not ready?" Charlie asked, closing the door behind them.

"It's the tie." Steve yanked the fabric from around his neck. "It won't tie."

Clint had gone to raid his refrigerator, something not uncommon these days, while Charlie helped Steve with his tie. Slipping the fabric around his neck once more, she focused on tying it. "So, no date tonight?"

"Not tonight." Steve glanced down at her, their eyes meeting for a moment before she turned back to the tie.

"Why not?"

"It's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience." He echoed the same response he once gave Natasha.

"Steve." Charlie chastised. "I'm a mom. I know when I'm being lied to."

Steve sighed. "Clint's almost lost you. Tony almost lost Pepper. I don't want to lose anyone or have them put at risk because they're in a relationship with me. Maybe I'm not supposed to have that, anyway."

"Not everything has to be about love, you know." She tapped the knot of the tie with a smile. "Sometimes, things can just be physical."

"What?"

"Sex, Steve. Sometimes things can just be about sex and there's nothing wrong about that." Charlie replied. "Just as long as it's consensual."

"I don't know, Charlie. I wasn't raised like that."

"Maybe not, but you do have needs. You are a man, the last time I checked." She chuckled and then used the mirror to check her own reflection. "Take my advice or don't but maybe you'll loosen up if you had a friend outside of the team."

"I have you and Jeremy."

"Jeremy is ten and living in a tower full of superheroes. I don't think we count as outside of the team."

Clint reappeared, his mouth full of grapes with several in his palm. "What are we talkin' about?"

Charlie giggled and kissed his cheek, straightening his tie. He extended a grape to her and she plucked it from between his fingers with her teeth, her lipstick staining the tips. Steve felt uncomfortable observing the look they shared, absolute love and lust, completely engrossed in one another. Charlie chewed and swallowed the grape, her smile widening as Clint put one arm around her, his palm resting on the small of her back. Steve followed them downstairs, moving away from them as soon as the opportunity allowed. He was thinking about what Charlie suggested when he was bumped into, champagne spilling on his sleeve.

"Oh, damn." A brunette with a flustered look was apologizing.

"It's all right, ma'am." Steve grabbed a napkin from a passing waiter and started dabbing at the spill.

"It figures I'd bump into someone and I'm not even drunk yet." She chuckled.

Snorting a laugh, Steve said, "Yeah, it's usually best to come to these things drunk. Stark has a tendency to go overboard."

"Don't I know it." She muttered.

"Do you know Tony?"

"He's...an old business associate. How do you know him?"

"We kind of work together." Steve extended a hand to her. "Steve Rogers."

"Roman Williams." She shook his hand. "I'm guessing you're _the_ Steve Rogers."

"I'm afraid so." He grinned and glanced over at the bar. "Can I get you a new drink?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying a line." Roman picked up the hem of her dress off the floor so she wouldn't trip as she walked. Once at the bar, they ordered new drinks (champagne for the both of them) and he had time to observe his companion. A brunette with striking chocolate eyes, blood red lips, and confidence had last seen on one Agent Carter, he found himself curious about her. Roman held her glass delicately as she turned to watch the people scurrying around them, taking sips every so often and laughing. Her laugh was what took him by surprise. It was straight from her core, loud and raucous, as though she didn't care what the people surrounding her thought. She was a beautiful woman and he thought back to Charlie's words. Things were different now, they could be just physical and he didn't want a real attachment at the moment but occasional companionship would be nice.

Could he have someone that he only used for sex? Probably—scratch that, definitely not. But could he offer and see what she wanted? Maybe she was as starved for human contact—normal human contact—as he was. Maybe she wanted to wake up to a person next to her every once in a while, to have someone pull her close, to sigh happily as their body warmth combined and their muscles relaxed. Throwing caution to the wind, he made his choice: if Roman was willing, so was he.

"Do you want to dance?" Roman pulled him out of his own thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to dance?" She gestured to the couples moving on the dance floor.

"I'm not much of a dancer."

"Fair enough." Downing the rest of her champagne, she ordered another.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Steve asked as she accepted the new drink from the bartender.

"Um, I guess so." She answered uncertainly.

"Have you ever had a relationship that was just...physical?"

Her eyebrows rose but she nodded. "Yeah. I've had a few booty calls. Why?"

"It was something a friend of mine brought up earlier." He tried to change the topic awkwardly. Anything to not talk about this anymore. "So, you like to dance?"

Roman laughed loudly. "Steve, sex isn't something to be ashamed of. It's a human need. Are you asking to hook up?"

"What? I wasn't-I mean, I wouldn't-" Damn it, he was tripping over his tongue faster than he could spit out the words.

She silenced (and shocked) him by pressing her lips to his firmly but gently. Once the shock wore off, he kissed her back and then she pulled away. "I'm going to get a cab home. If you want to come with me, meet me outside. If not, no big deal and we part ways as unlikely friends."

Roman grinned while she collected her clutch and strode across the floor, waving at a blonde talking with Pepper. Steve watched the sway of her hips as she walked through the crowd, silently chastising himself. She disappeared through the door and he downed the last of his champagne, then rushed to follow her. She had found a cab, and had glanced back when she opened the door, smiling at him when she saw him coming. Sliding in the seat next to her, Steve was glad that at least tonight, he'd have companionship.

 **A/N: So this chapter is dedicated to Nisse, who commented that she'd like to see the benefit from Steve's point of view. I loved your critiques and I'm glad you left them. Any and everything makes my writing better!**

 **A giant welcome to the new followers and favorites to this story and a huge thanks to my reviewers. I love you guys.**

 **Also, Charlie Harrison is an OC from my Hawkeye fanfiction, which is available to read on my profile, if you're interested. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

"Roman, you've got a customer." Bruno gestured over his shoulder toward the private rooms. "Looks like a high roller."

"Thanks." Roman smiled up at her bouncer before going to meet her client. Entering the room and closing the curtains to give the illusion of privacy, she turned to face the man. Wearing cargo pants, a shirt with a video game logo on it, and a flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he didn't look like the type to frequent a strip club. He adjusted his thick, black glasses nervously, stammering as soon as she entered the room.

"I have a proposition for you."

"Sorry, I don't sleep with customers." Roman turned to leave when he grabbed her arm. "Let go."

"I'm sorry." He released her and held his hands up, showing he meant no harm. "My name is Bryce. Bryce Jones."

"Bryce Jones?" She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "Doesn't your dad own this club?"

"Um, yeah." He was really nervous. "Look, I'll cut to the chase: I want to hire you to be my girlfriend."

"This isn't _Pretty Woman_."

"I am aware of that but I'm willing to pay you whatever you want. I have a trust fund." Bryce shifted from foot to foot.

"Why do you need to hire a girlfriend? You're not horrible looking, and you've got money."

Adjusting his glasses again, Bryce said, "I'm not really the type that girls are interested in. A-and my dad is on my case to have a girlfriend or someone to bring to the society gatherings."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "And you thought hiring one of the girls at his club was a good idea?"

"He doesn't know any of you by name." He said quickly. "Please?"

Her mind went to the one person who could use the money and once she pictured his face, she had an answer. "Fine. I'll do it."

"Thank you so much." Bryce let out an audible sigh. "There's this thing tonight. Dad's trying to get into the tech business."

"Good for him. Well, you're going to have to tell me everything about you." Roman said. "What time is the 'thing'?"

"Um, now."

"Now?" She scoffed. "There's no way. I don't have anything to wear."

"It's really casual." Bryce offered quickly. "What do you have?"

"Jeans and a t shirt."

"That can work." He replied.

Roman nodded then hurried to the locker room, changing into her jeans and tugging on her t shirt. She dug through her locker and found a floral scarf and wrapped it around her neck, making her plain shirt less casual. Her hair had been straightened so she did a quick fishtail braid and went back to meet Bryce.

"You look good." He commented. "We have to hurry."

"Where is this, by the way?" She asked as he ushered her out of the club and into a private car.

"Central Park." Bryce sat back in his seat. "Shouldn't we be going over our interests or something? So this is believable?"

"Like how we met?" When he nodded she continued, "We met at the park. I was drawing and you stopped to admire my art."

"Do you really draw?"

"Yeah. But that's not important." Roman scooted closer to him, pulling his arm around her shoulder and putting one hand on his knee.

"Wh—what are you doing?"

"Treating you like a girlfriend would." She snuggled into his side. "How long until we're at the park?"

"It depends on traffic but probably ten minutes, I guess."

"Then you have ten minutes to get used to another human touching you."

By the time they arrived at Central Park, Bryce had calmed down a little. It turns out the 'thing' he was going to was a picnic with all of the big deal names in technology, including Tony Stark. Roman rolled her eyes but slipped her arm through Bryce's and giggled girlishly. When he spotted his father, he pulled her to a stop. Pointing to a salt and pepper haired gentleman in a black button up and jeans, he said, "That's my father."

Roman put her arms around his neck and smiled flirtatiously up at him. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Bryce replied as she rose up on her toes to kiss him.

"Bryce!" His father's booming voice interrupted their kiss as he approached them. "Who's this?"

"Hi, I'm Roman." She shook his hand before entwining her fingers with Bryce's. "You must be Brycie's dad."

"Jack Jones. It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine." She smiled widely.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Jack offered, gesturing to the giant spread of food and drinks laid out.

"I'll get it, Dad." Bryce finally spoke, going to get her a drink and reappearing with a random drink a minute later.

"So, how did you two love birds meet?"

"She's an artist." Bryce stammered.

"I was drawing one day and he tripped and spilled his coffee on one of my drawings." Roman batted her eyelashes at Bryce and nudged him playfully. "And the rest is history."

"Well, it's nice to see Bryce finally out with a girl." Jack looked pointedly at his son. "Enjoy yourself, my dear and we must have you over for dinner soon."

"Looking forward to it!" She waited for him to walk away before speaking to Bryce. "You have got to relax. You're going to ruin it."

"I wasn't expecting you to kiss me." Bryce exclaimed and Roman shushed him.

"I'm supposed to be your girlfriend, aren't I?"

"Yeah-"

"Then you're going to have to just go with whatever." She brushed a piece of fuzz off his shirt. "When you have a job, you can dump me. Now, go mingle."

Roman watched him as he tried to talk with the other guests, having to go help him more than once. The poor guy had terrible conversational skills. At one point, his father pulled him off to the side to meet with Tony Stark himself. She was sitting in the grass, watching kids play several yards away, listening to the birds sing in the trees, and loving the smell drifting through the park on the wind when she pulled out a pad of paper she kept in her bag. Her grams had told her to keep it with her so whenever inspiration struck, she'd be ready. Charcoal was the only thing she had to draw with in her bag, and soon her hands were smudged as she transferred her muse to paper.

"I like it." A voice behind her said, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Roman looked down at the paper at her drawing; a bird flying through the air, its wings smudged as it flew. Squinting her eyes as she looked up, she saw Steve Rogers. "Thanks."

"Do you mind?" He gestured to the spot next to her and waited for her to nod before sitting down.

"What are you doing here?"

"Just taking a walk. I saw you drawing and figured I'd come over to say hi." Steve glanced at her paper again. "You're pretty good. Do you have any more drawings?"

"Yep." She patted her sketch pad tenderly. "All in here."

"Can I see them?"

"Sure." Handing him the pad, she waited for him to go through the drawings. He paused when he got halfway through it, but only momentarily, before moving on again. He seemed a little skittish when he finally handed the pad back.

-0-

Steve stared at the serpent as it curled itself around a shield in disbelief, knowing exactly where he had seen this before. It was in the online portfolio Slytherin had sent him, saying it had been her favorite drawing to date. Sitting next to him was the girl had had wanted to meet for so long and he couldn't think of a single thing to say. He wanted to meet but she didn't, so how did he get to spend time with her without giving himself away?

"Do you want to get something to eat?" He offered. A meal was innocent enough, probably even acceptable in this scenario.

"I'm actually here with someone." She gestured to a man with glasses, attempting to balance several plates in one hand. "But if you're free later, we could go to a movie. There's one I've been wanting to see and my roommate doesn't want to go."

"That sounds like fun." Steve smiled as he stood, wiping dirt off the seat of his pants.

"Oh, Captain Rogers?"

"Ma'am?"

"You're not asking me out because we slept together, are you?" Roman shaded her eyes with one of her hands. "Because it's really not necessary."

"Like you said, it was just physical." Steve was lying through his teeth. Now that he knew who she was, it was different. "What time did you want to meet up for the movie?"

"I dunno." She tore a page out of her sketch pad and scrawled her phone number on it, handing it to him. "Give me a call later and we can figure it out."

Steve tucked the paper into his pocket and walked away, nonchalantly. Regardless of anything else that happened tonight, he'd find a way to tell her who he was.

-0-

"Who was that?" Bryce asked as he handed Roman a plate full of fruit, salad, and barbecued meat.

"Oh, just a friend."

"Not an ex, hopefully. I'd hate to have to challenge him to fisticuffs." He chuckled and Roman snorted.

"Nope. Just a drunken hookup." She took a drink of her water, watching as Bryce dug into his food. _He'd make a really good boyfriend for Penny_ , she thought.

-0-

 _MindifISlytherin: Hey, Missy. :) What are you up to?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I'm just checking out your new artwork. It looks awesome.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Thanks! It was just something I did at the park earlier._

 _MindifISlytherin: Do you have anything fun planned for tonight?_

Steve wanted to tell her, he had the words typed out and then he deleted it instead.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I'm going out with some friends tonight.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Anyone special?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I'm not sure. She's kind of hard to read.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Well, she'd be stupid not to choose you. You're pretty awesome._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: You're not so bad yourself. :) I have to go. I'll talk to you later.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Go get 'em, tiger._

 **A/N: So, it turns out that all of my stories have been stolen and posted on a different website and I found it kind of hard to get motivated to write but I want to finish this story so I'm going to. I do hope you all enjoy this story and I'm going to explore a little bit of a different side of Cap as far as physical boundaries go. Tell me what you guys think of that. I love getting reviews, even if they are criticism, because that's how I get better. Thanks to the followers/favoriters/readers/reviewers. You guys are amazing.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Thanks for coming with me." Roman said to Steve as they exited the theater. She slurped up the rest of her soda before tossing it in the trash along with the extra large popcorn they had purchased. The other moviegoers seemed oblivious to the fact that Captain America was among them.

"No problem." Steve assured her. "It was a funny movie."

"I'm a sucker for any animated critters." She chuckled, pausing so a family could scurry past them. Resuming their walk she continued, "Penny hates going to see kid movies with me."

"I think the last movie I saw in a theater was _The Wizard of Oz_." Steve replied.

"Wow, you are old." She nudged him with her elbow and laughed. "I haven't seen that movie since I was a kid."

Roman's phone rang and she answered it with an apologetic smile. "Hey. What's up? Is everything okay?"

She listened to the caller before speaking again. "I'll call you back later."

"Everything okay?" Steve asked as she shoved her phone in her pocket.

"Yeah. Just work."

"Oh. Okay." They stood awkwardly for a minute before Steve spoke. "I should get going."

"I'll see you around." Roman turned and headed for her apartment. As soon as she entered the apartment, however, she was bombarded by Penny.

"Are you dating Captain Rogers?"

"What?"

Penny shoved her phone in Roman's face. A blurry photo of herself and Steve standing in line at the movie theater, laughing together, had been posted on a paparazzi website. "Are you dating Captain Rogers?"

"No. I ran into him at the park today and asked if he wanted to go see that kiddie flick you wouldn't go see with me." Shrugging out of her leather jacket and tossing it on the couch, Roman went to retrieve a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"I think the Internet is going to explode." Penny was scrolling through the virtual headlines. "Everybody wants to know who his 'mystery brunette' is."

"He's just a friend." She sipped her water. "No, not even a friend. He's an acquaintance."

"How did you become friend with Captain America?"

"Um, well, we kind of-" Roman cleared her throat and passed Penny in an attempt to escape to her room. "Slept together."

"What?!" Penny shrieked, grabbing her best friend by the shoulders and shaking her. "And you didn't tell me that?"

Releasing herself from Penny's iron grip, Roman said, "Would you relax? It was one time, the night of that stupid benefit you dragged me to."

"Well, I have to say I'm impressed." The blonde replied. "Are you going to see him again?"

"I dunno. Probably as a friend." Flopping down on the couch, Roman groaned. "I'm not looking for anything in depth right now."

"Ro, I know the past two years have been hard on you." Penny sat next to her on the couch and put her feet in her lap, picking at the worn rubber on Roman's sneakers. "But don't you think it's time to get out there? He wouldn't want you to be alone."

"I'm fine."

The pair didn't say anymore and instead pretended to watch an old 90's sitcom.

-0-

The next night at work, Roman was told Bryce was in one of the private rooms waiting for her. She was surprised when his father was waiting instead. "Mr. Jones, what can I do for you?"

"I know what you did for my son."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about." She feigned ignorance.

"Miss Williams, shall we not play dumb? It doesn't suit you." Jack took a sip of his drink, the ice clinking against the glass. "I know he hired you to play his girlfriend for the day. Thanks to your charisma, he received the offer of a lifetime."

"So what do you want from me?"

"You know who Steve Rogers is, don't you?" Standing, Jack downed the rest of his drink and used his cell phone to pull up the paparazzi photo of their movie 'date'. "Of course you do. And for some reason, he has decided to align himself with you. Why is that, do you think?"

"He's a friend."

"Why would Captain America-a wholesome as apple pie-spend time with a stripper?" He continued to speak as though she hadn't interrupted. "It definitely wouldn't do any favors for his image. But a respectable girl, well, she could prove very useful."

"Could you get to the point?" Roman crossed her arms.

"I want you to make Steve Rogers fall in love with you."

"What?"

"I want you to make Steve Rogers fall in love with you." Jack repeated. "You really seemed more intelligent the last time we met."

"No." Roman said firmly. "I won't do it."

"Yes, you will." His demeanor changed from charming to predatory; like a shark who smelled blood. "If you do as I say, you get paid and everyone is happy. But if you don't, then everyone that you have ever loved will die."

"It's a good thing that I don't have anybody left." Roman sneered.

"Of course you do, my dear. There's sweet Penelope, for instance." Jack chuckled. "There's always someone you care about."

He reached toward her, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She flinched but didn't move away and he grinned. "Do we have a deal?"

As much as she hated to admit it, Roman didn't have much of a choice. Penny was her best friend and if he bothered to look into her family history, then someone else was at risk, too. "Fine."

"I knew you'd come around. You're a smart girl." He started to leave but paused at the door and turned. "Tell little Hunter I said hello."

Roman felt her blood go cold and she watched Jack leave. He knew and now she was absolutely positive that this man was dangerous. She waited until she was sure he had left the club before squaring her shoulders and going out to finish her shift. By the end of it, she was a nervous mess and shoved her money into her purse, not bothering to hide it in her garter as usual, and threw on her street clothes. She had made it a block away from the club when she felt like someone was following her. Glancing behind her she saw a man who looked like he was made of pure muscle. Roman turned her attention ahead of her once more and ran into what felt like a brick wall.

"Hey, honey." A whiskey coated voice said.

"Get away from me." Roman's voice quivered. Normally she'd get her Taser but Jack's threat had rattled her and something told her that he had something to do with this. The second man had come up behind her and effectively closed off an escape route.

"I'm just sayin' hello." He looked at his friend. "She's not very friendly."

"Maybe she's just nervous." The other man said. "Maybe she don't have many friends."

"You nervous, doll?" Whiskey breath asked, cupping her cheek with one hand and stroking the skin with a calloused thumb.

"I'm going to call the police." Roman fumbled for her phone in her purse when Whiskey Breath yanked it away, throwing the whole bag down an alley. Taking a deep breath, Roman lashed out, using her fingernails to claw at his face and used the temporary distraction to run away. She didn't get far when the other man grabbed a hold of her hair and dragged her to a stop. Whiskey Breath was furious and swearing loudly.

"Now, the boss said you had to live but I'm not feeling so generous." He growled, pulling an arm back and landing his fist square in her stomach The other man held Roman's arms back so she couldn't fight. "There's a lot that can define alive."

Another punch, this time to her face and then another to the side of her head, blurring her thoughts and vision. The assault stopped for a brief moment and then, in the back of her mind, Roman heard the sound of wood against cement. A second later, a baseball bat connected with her ribs and she heard them crack as she screamed. Panting for breath felt like her chest was on fire and then the bat hit her again, this time in her ankle. Whiskey Breath's partner released her and Roman dropped to the ground, blood oozing from her mouth and exquisite pain punctuating each breath.

"Hey, ain't that enough now?" The second man asked.

"Just one more." Whiskey Breath said. "This one's for scratching up my face, bitch."

The bat made contact with her ribs again, causing her to cry out once again. When she was whimpering in pain, they took her money and phone, attempting to make it look like a mugging and then they left her alone on the pavement. Roman laid there, sobbing even though it made her ribs ache even worse, and tried to convince herself to move; to get off the pavement and get home. But she couldn't stand, couldn't move and she prayed the sun would come up so she could get help.

"Oh, my God. Roman!"

-0-

Steve was on the way home from the gym when he heard someone crying. He was shocked when he recognized Roman laying against an alley wall, blood dripping from her mouth, clutching her side and sobbing. "Oh, my God. Roman!"

"Steve?" She gasped.

"What happened?" He knelt next to her, examining her body carefully. "Who did this to you?"

"I don't know. Th-they took my money and phone."

He put one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees, picking her up as gingerly as he could. She cried out anyway. "I'm sorry, Roman."

"It's okay." She was shivering and winced with every step he took. Before he made it to the hospital, she had blacked out from the pain. The doctors were more than willing to help, doing everything they could to help an American hero and his friend but it was still hours before she was properly medicated and bandaged up as well as she could be. Steve waited in her room the entire time, not wanting her to be alone and also feeling responsible for her. When she was finally able to go home, Steve took her back to her apartment and tucked her into bed after giving her another dose of pain medication.

"You don't have to stay here all night." Roman said softly once she was situated in bed, the blankets tucked around her.

Steve put a bottle of water next to the bed and the pain pills next to the water. "I know. I want to make sure you're okay."

Her eyes were drooping and she drifted off to sleep before she spoke again. Steve smiled lightly and pulled up a chair next to her bed, watching over her as she slept.

 **A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please feel free to leave a review. Thanks to everyone who reads/follows/favorites/reviews this story. You guys rock. :)**

 **Supesfan18: I will be continuing to post stories. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Nisse: Thanks so much for reviewing on both chapters! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.**


	7. Chapter 7

_MindifISlytherin: What's up, Missy? I haven't seen you online in a few days._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Sorry. I got busy helping out one of my friends.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: That's nice of you. I posted new drawings to my portfolio if you want to check them out._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I will definitely do that later. What have you been up to?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Ugh, I got into an accident so I'm laid up for a little while. My mom insisted on coming out to take care of me._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: What happened? Are you okay?**_

Steve hated lying and pretending like he had no idea what happened but he didn't have much of a choice right now.

 _MindifISlytherin: I'm fine. I've just got a couple broken ribs, a fractured ankle, and I'm pretty bruised up but I'm good. Thanks for asking. :)_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Why is your mom coming to take care of you?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Because she's a mom. Wouldn't your mom come take care of you if you were bedridden?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: She spent a lot of time taking care of me. I got sick a lot as a kid.**_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: She died, in case you were wondering.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Oh, no! I'm so sorry. :( I don't know what I'd do without my mom._

 _MindifISlytherin: Do you still get sick a lot?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Not so much anymore. Mostly, I just get homesick, I guess. I just got back to the States a few years ago and everything has changed.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Where did you move back from?_

Steve groaned at his slip up. Of course she'd ask.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I spent a lot of time in Europe. Germany, mostly.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: That's amazing. I haven't been anywhere except New York and my hometown. I'm probably pretty boring to a world traveler like you. ;)_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Trust me, you are anything but boring. :)**_

 _MindifISlytherin: That's sweet._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Are you and your mom going to do any sightseeing while she's here?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Probably not. She goes a bit overboard when it comes to her kids. She'll probably have me chained to the bed the entire time she's here so I don't 'strain' myself. lol_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Moms are like that.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I'd better go. I have a friend coming over to help me clean and he's going to be here soon._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Alright, I'll talk to you later.**_

-0-

"Roman has a boyfriend!" Penny sang as she pranced through the living room, much to Roman's annoyance.

From her spot on the couch, fractured ankle elevated (at Penny's insistence), Roman threw an old _Soap Opera Digest_ at her roommate. Penny ducked with a squeal and a giggle before resuming her taunting. "He's not my boyfriend! He's just helping me out."

"For the fourth time this week." Penny countered. "And he brought you dinner three times, plus he sat through those stupid kiddie movies you like."

"Those movies are awesome."

"They really aren't." The blonde dug in her clutch for her compact mirror and lipstick. "So, what do you think is gonna happen tonight?"

"Um, cleaning?" Roman raised an eyebrow. "My mom is coming. Thanks to you, by the way. Why did you have to call her?"

" _I_ did not call her. The hospital called her." Satisfied with her appearance, Penny put the lipstick and mirror back in her purse. "But she did call earlier while you were in a Percocet haze. She's not coming. Your brother is having a wedding crisis and needs her."

Roman sighed with relief. "Good. Now I can tell Steve that he doesn't have to come over."

Penny practically tackled Roman to get the cell phone away from her. Holding it over her head, she said, "Absolutely not. You guys are so cute together and you need a date for the wedding."

"I do not need a date."

"Yes, you do."

"Do not."

"Do too time infinity." Penny stuck out her tongue at Roman.

"Wow. Real mature."

"Just promise me that you'll let him come over and I'll give you back your phone."

"I promise." Roman huffed and snatched her phone back as soon as Penny had it within her reach. A knock at the door made Penny grin devilishly before she opened it.

"Oh, hi, Captain Rogers. Come on in."

Steve entered the apartment with a large pizza box. "Hi, Penny. How's she feeling today?"

Penny pulled on a jacket over her dress, smirking at Roman. "I think she's a little oxygen deprived. Maybe you should give her mouth to mouth."

The remote to the TV was thrown at Penny, smacking loudly against the wall while Steve's cheeks turned red. "I'm leaving! Have a good night, you two."

"I am so sorry about her." Roman apologized with a hand over her eyes in embarrassment. "I don't think she was raised right."

Steve chuckled. "It's all right. She's harmless."

"Relatively, anyway."

"So, did you want to start with cleaning or with food?"

"Actually, I was getting ready to call you. Mom canceled so there's no need to clean." Roman sat up so she could get off the couch, stumbling slightly when she put her weight on her feet. Steve was at her side in an instant, steadying her with concern in his eyes and an arm securely around her waist.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She was very aware of his body pressed closely to hers, his muscles tightening around her, and a cologne that was to die for made her inhale. Meeting his gaze, she pushed herself closer to him and said, "I'm better now."

"You sure?"

"Mm-hmm." Licking her lips, she glanced down at his mouth then back up to his eyes. The way his breath caught for a moment let her know that he didn't miss the look. Roman pulled away from him slightly. "You don't have to stay tonight, if you don't want to. Since we don't have anything to clean, I mean."

"No, it's fine." Steve replied, releasing Roman from his grip. "I don't have anything planned. I'm all yours for tonight."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "How about we start with the pizza and we can watch a movie. I'll even let you pick it out tonight."

"Deal." A few minutes later, the pair was sitting on the couch, slices of pizza on plates and _A New Hope_ playing on the TV. Roman had seen it a thousand times, it was one of her favorites, but tonight, she watched Steve's face as he watched the movie. Around the time Luke found his aunt and uncle vaporized on their farm, Roman scooted closer to Steve, hesitantly picking up his right arm and draping it over her shoulders, snuggling against his side. He looked down at her curiously.

"Is this okay?" She asked, thankful that the painkillers were still working.

In lieu of an answer, Steve leaned down and kissed her gently. Roman could taste the garlic from the pizza still on his lips as she returned the kiss. Tugging on the front of his shirt, she encouraged him to kiss her again, this time biting his lower lip carefully. Steve responded with a soft groan, one of his hands moving to her hip, grasping it tightly. The sudden pressure made her squeal and Steve pulled away. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No." She was breathing hard as she replied.

Something started vibrating against her thigh and she giggled. "Were you feeling confident tonight, Captain?"

Flushing scarlet, Steve freed himself from her grasp and fumbled for his pocket. Retrieving a vibrating cell phone, he stammered, "It was my phone."

"And here I thought you were just happy to see me." Roman teased.

"I have to go." He said, reading the text that had just arrived.

"Oh." Frowning slightly, she stopped the movie. "Avengers stuff?"

"Yeah. I can't say anymore than that. I'm sorry."

"It's all good. The world won't save itself."

"I'll come by as soon as I get back." He promised as he stood. "And maybe I can take you out for coffee?"

"As long as you promise to come back, you've got a date."

"I'll do my best."

Roman kissed him once more and then he was walking out the door. She took several more painkillers and laid down on her bed in an attempt to shake off the guilt of the deception. She was doing this for Hunter and he was more important to her than anyone else. She fell asleep and too soon she was woken by Penny stumbling drunkenly in her room.

"Ro!" Obnoxious drunken giggling preceded her falling into the bed. "How'd your date go?"

"It was fine." Roman squirmed as she tried to find a comfortable position now that Penny was taking up most of the queen sized bed.

"Do you _looooove_ him?"

"No, Penny. Now go to sleep."

Penny sniffled then started to cry. Roman rolled her eyes. Her roommate was the most emotional drunk that she had ever met. "What's wrong?"

"I just want you to be happy. I love you so much."

"Go to sleep, Pen. We can talk in the morning."

"Can I stay here?" Penny whispered. "I can't find my room."

"Yeah." Roman whispered back. "But you have to go to sleep. I'm tired."

Snoring filled the room a few minutes later as both girls fell asleep.

 **A/N: Thanks to everyone who reads/follows/favorites/reviews. You guys are awesome and please feel free to leave a review. It's always lovely to get them.**

 **Qweb: If I had Steve Rogers to protect me, I'd definitely jump at that opportunity. ;) Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Supesfan18: Sneaky sneaky bad guys. They're always up to mischief. I'm glad you enjoy the story so far. Thanks for reviewing!**

 **Nisse: Are any of your fics still up? I love reading as much as I love writing! Thanks for reviewing!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**WhatDidIMiss: I need advice.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: What's up?Is everything okay?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I've been seeing this girl and I really like her.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Good for you! Is she pretty?_

Steve grinned and his fingers flew over the keyboard.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: She's beautiful. We've been seeing each other for a few weeks and I want to ask her to be my girlfriend.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Aww. That's sweet. What do you need advice for?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: How do I ask her?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Do something that's special to her. Something that's honest and sweet and unique to her personality._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Actually, that's a fantastic idea. Thanks.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: That's what I'm here for. :) Good luck._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Thanks. :)**_

-0-

"Where are we going?" Roman asked Steve. Soon after he came over, he blindfolded her and led her to a car waiting downstairs. "You should know that if you're planning on killing me, Penny knows where I am."

Steve chuckled. "It's a surprise."

"I hate surprises."

"You'll like this one." He promised. The car stopped and he helped Roman out of the car. They walked for a few minutes before they paused and she felt a jolt of an elevator. A short ride later, and she was being led forward then the blindfold was off. They were standing on a rooftop, candles scattered everywhere, and a table set up in the middle of them. A white table cloth was draped over the table with a cake in the middle of the table. A radio was set up on the edge of the building, soft, romantic music pouring from the speakers.

"Steve, this is...amazing." Roman said with a smile. "What's all this for?"

"Happy birthday." He grinned down to her.

"My birthday was last week."

"I know and I was on a mission." He led her to the table, pulling the chair out so she could sit down then took his place across from her.

"You really didn't have to do this." Roman took a sip from her water glass.

Changing the subject, Steve said, "Do you want a piece with a flower on it?"

"Yeah. The more sugar, the better." The cake was moist and perfect. "This is amazing, Steve. Where did you get this cake?"

"Actually, I made it." He grinned sheepishly. "With a lot of help from Natasha, though. I'm not much for baking."

"It's perfect." Roman replied.

Steve looked pleased and when the pair had finished their cake, he led her to a blanket spread over the cement. They laid down next to each other, his arm around her shoulders and her head on his chest and watched the stars. He ran his fingers through her hair, listening to her breathe, and savoring the feeling of her arm draped over his chest before speaking. "Hey, Roman?"

"Hmmm?" She murmured.

"We've been seeing each other for a little while now, right?"

"A few weeks." She moved so she could look up at him. "Why?"

"Have you been seeing anybody else?" Steve asked.

"Nope. Have you?"

"No. Maybe we could keep seeing each other?"

"Sure, Cap."

"I mean," Steve was tripping over his words. "Do you..."

Roman sat up and brushed her hair over one shoulder. "Are you okay, Steve? You're acting weird."

"Do you want to keep seeing just me?"

"Are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I hope you're a better fighter than talker because otherwise you're in trouble." She teased then leaned down to kiss him. "Consider us exclusive."

Steve kissed her again, grinning against her lips. "Good."

Roman's cell phone ringing incessantly woke Steve up before Roman did the next morning. They had fallen asleep on the roof and she was wrapped in his leather jacket and curled against his chest. Looking down at her, he smiled. She looked peaceful and beautiful as she slept and he hated to wake her up. "Roman?"

"Ugh." She groaned, scooting closer to him. "Five more minutes."

"Your phone's ringing." Steve shook her gently and she groaned again before digging in her pocket to retrieve the phone. She didn't open her eyes as she answered, merely mumbled a greeting.

"Yeah. Fine. I'll be there in a few hours." Roman promised. "No, I won't be late."

She hung up and shoved her phone back in her pocket, finally rolling away from Steve. "Morning."

"Good morning."

Roman sat up and tried to finger brush her hair. "Is there any chance we're going to get coffee?"

"Yeah, let's go." He brushed off his clothes as he stood. "You gotta leave right away?"

"Not without coffee."

"What's on your agenda today?" Steve asked, leading her through the building and outside.

"I have to meet Penny. I'll call you later, though." Roman started to leave, walking toward the coffee vendor in front of the building. Steve pulled her back and kissed her gently.

"Have a good day."

Roman's cheeks were flushed and Steve chuckled as he released her. She went to get her coffee and found a cab, very aware of the fact that he was watching her. She told the cab to take her home so she could have time to shower and change her clothes before meeting up with her roommate. Penny was home when she got there, however, and anxious.

"Your mom has called here six times looking for you." Penny told her. "She thought you were dead and I had to tell her you were on a date with Captain America."

"What?" Roman snapped.

"She wanted to know you were okay." Penny replied. "She's happy for you, by the way. She's added a plus one for you for the wedding."

"Next time just tell her I'm asleep."

"Fine, I will."

"Fine."

-0-

Steve stared at his laptop, anxiously waiting for Roman to sign on. Finally there was a little green dot next to her name and he started typing.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Hey, how was your night?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: It was perfect. My boyfriend missed my birthday last week so we had a little party last night._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Sounds like a good night to me.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I think..._

 _MindifISlytherin: Never mind._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: What? Tell me.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I think I might be falling in love with him, which is weird because it's too soon. We've only been dating for a short time._

Steve was staring at her message on the computer, heart in his throat.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Are you going to tell him?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: No._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Why not? I'm sure he'd like to know.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I'm toxic. People who I love end up hurt._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I don't think you're toxic.**_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Your boyfriend probably doesn't either.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I have to go. I'll talk to you later._

 **A/N: So this chapter was difficult to write because my muse has deigned to take a vacation. But it's mostly fluff so I hope you guys liked it. Next chapter will have more meat to it. Thanks to everyone who reads/reviews/favorites/follows this story. You guys rock.**


	9. Chapter 9

The knock at the door seemed innocent enough or so Roman thought when she went to answer it. She was surprised when a woman squealed and threw her arms around her. "Mom? What are you doing here?"

"Sweetie, the wedding is in a week and you haven't been fitted yet. Poor Sebastian is in a horrible panic." Lillian Williams grabbed a garment bag and pushed her way into Roman's apartment, leaving the brunette at a loss for words. "Now, where can I put this?"

"Um, my room, I guess." Roman showed her mom the way to her bedroom, watching as Lillian took in their apartment. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but why are you really here?"

Lillian sighed. "I wanted to check on you after you were attacked but Sebastian needed me. I worry about you and Penny living here alone."

"Mom, we're fine." Roman assured her.

"You can never be too careful." Lillian smiled. "Now, let's get you fitted so Sebastian can worry a little less."

"Why am I even in the wedding party? The bride hates me."

"She does not. Emilia is just a bit..."

"Bitchy?" Roman offered helpfully.

"Particular." Lillian said instead. Opening her suitcase, she pulled out a navy blue ball of fabric and shoved it at Roman. "Try this on and I'll make the adjustments."

"Mom, you know there are people who do this stuff for a living." She pulled off her shirt and tugged the dress on, leaving her jeans on. The dress came to her knees, and over her right shoulder, draping over her frame. It was a little bit big but luckily Lillian was there with her pin cushion, adjusting and tucking where needed. She worked without saying anything, just humming as she went about her business. Roman watched her mother in the mirror, smiling slightly. Lillian was the most beautiful woman in Roman's opinion. Eyes that crinkled at the corners when she smiled or laughed (which was often), rosy cheeks, a less than perfect physique but she had three children and was in her fifties. She wasn't expected to be a model. Thick, dark hair that had developed gray streaks and Roman realized harshly that she hadn't been home in a long while.

"Take it off carefully and I'll fix it up for you." Lillian said, standing back as Roman undressed. She was caught off guard when her daughter threw her arms around her shoulders. Wrapping her arms around Roman's waist, careful of the pins in the dress, she squeezed her gently. "What's this for?"

"I've missed you." Roman pulled away with a regretful smile.

"Well, I'm here now." Lillian smiled again. "Now, take the dress off before the pins are pushed out of place."

Disrobing was easier said than done and accomplished with only minimal poking. Once she was finally clear of the dress, Roman asked, "Are you free for lunch? I'm meeting a friend in a little while."

"I'd love to but I'm afraid I can't." Lillian replied. "I have to get this sewing done but how about you come home for dinner? Clark would love to see you. You can bring Penny and your boyfriend with you."

"I don't think that'd be a very good idea."

"Why not?"

"I just think it'd be best if he doesn't come, that's all." Roman wasn't going to tell her mother that she was only dating Steve as part of her job. Lillian was less than thrilled about her job as a stripper; this was too close to prostitution for her mother to accept and she knew it. She remembered the envelope of money in her purse and retrieved it. "This is for Hunter."

Lillian took the envelope and put it in her purse. "I've got pictures of him. Would you like to see?"

Roman shook her head roughly. "No."

"He's your son."

"No, he's not. I gave birth to him but he's not my son." Roman said simply. "Please make sure they get the money."

"Of course, sweetheart." Lillian hugged her daughter. "I should get home and get these alterations done. You will bring Steve to the wedding, won't you?"

"Sure, Mom. I promise."

-0-

Guilt was going to eat her alive, she just knew it. Roman walked around the club, flirting as needed and dancing where commanded. She was going to tell Steve the truth and let him fight it out with Jack. She was going to do it tonight when she got off work. At least, that's what she had decided until she got to her locker to change into her street clothes. She found an envelope taped to the inside. Opening it revealed a baby with a happy grin. A red X was drawn over his face, a grim reminder of what would happen if she failed. Slamming the door closed, she crumpled the picture and threw it in the trash before stomping out of the club. Once she was home, she threw her bag on the floor and started to pace angrily.

"What's wrong?" Penny appeared from her room, dressed in her pajamas and mussed hair. Clearly the noise had woken her.

"Nothing." Roman snapped. "Just leave me alone."

"Ro, talk to me." The blonde knew better than to leave her alone now. That's what best friends were for.

"I don't want to talk. I'm fine." Her eyes were burning with angry tears and she stomped into her room, slamming the door then locking it for good measure. Surprisingly, Penny didn't push the issue but when Roman's phone rang a little while later, she knew Penny had called Steve instead. Ignoring the call, Roman turned her cell phone off and snuck out of the window and onto the fire escape. She made her way to the street carefully and climbed on her motorcycle, bringing the engine to life. Despite the fact that she had told her mother that she didn't want to see Hunter and that she hadn't seen him since giving birth to him, she knew where his family lived.

Getting pregnant had been terrifying. She couldn't take care of herself, much less a tiny human being that would be dependent on her for everything. The father of the baby was a one night stand and while she knew she didn't want the baby, she couldn't bring herself to get an abortion so she settled on adoption. The bigger her stomach got, the more attached she got to the baby but she knew she wasn't going to keep him. It seemed like she interviewed thousands of prospective parents before she finally settled on Cooper and Julia Fetters. At their encouragement, she accepted an open adoption, although she hadn't taken advantage of it so far. She sent money as often as she could, not because they needed it, but because she wanted to. When she finally went into labor, Julia insisted on Roman holding him and making absolutely certain that adoption was what she wanted for him. It felt like giving away a piece of her heart, but she knew that she couldn't provide for him. Hiding the pregnancy from her family was easier than it should have been, but Roman rarely went home anymore. Her parents didn't know they had a grandchild and if it was up to her, it'd stay that way.

Roman pulled up the large apartment building, and stared at it, still trying to convince herself that it was okay to be here. Clenching her jaw, she got off her motorcycle and walked up to the intercom. Her finger hovered over the button for a few minutes, daring her to press it before she finally did.

"Hello?" Julia's voice came through the intercom.

"Hey, it's-um, it's Belle. Can I come up?"

"Of course!" She could practically hear Julia's grin through the speaker. The door buzzed and she made her way up the stairs before knocking on their door. Julia opened the door with a smile and hugged Roman.

"Belle! It's so wonderful to see you."

"I actually go by Roman, now. Occupational hazard and all that." Roman replied as she entered the apartment. "I can't stay long. I just wanted to check on you guys."

"We're all doing fine. Oh! I have some pictures for you." Julia retrieved an envelope off of a counter and handed it to her. "You can look at them or not. It's up to you."

"Thanks, Jules."

"And thank you for the money too. But it's not necessary." Her words were kind.

"I know. I just want to help out where I can." She dug into her pocket and gave Julia a scrap of paper with Steve's number on it. "If things ever go bad-I mean really, truly awful-call this number. Someone will be here as soon as possible."

"Who is it?"

"Just a friend of mine. He'll take care of you guys."

"Okay." Julia looked confused but took the paper and tucked it safely into her pocket. "Are you sure you don't want to see him?"

"I'm sure. I have to go anyway."

 **A/N: Sorry for taking so long for this chapter, guys. Real life sucks sometimes. But in the next few chapters, Steve is going to meet Roman's family! Just in case it wasn't clear, Roman's real name is Belle because no stripper will use their real name. Waaay too dangerous. But, please read and review, darlings! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

_**WhatDidIMiss: Are you okay?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Yep. :) Never been better. Why do you ask?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Just checking up on you. I haven't talked to you in a while.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I've been busy helping my brother get ready for his wedding. My boyfriend and I are heading out this afternoon. Hopefully he doesn't decide I come from a crazy family and dump me._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: lol I'm sure he won't think that.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: You haven't met my family._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Did you ever figure out your feelings about your boyfriend?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I'm not sure._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: What do you mean?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I love him but I'm afraid to tell him._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Why?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: What if he loves me back?_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Would it be a bad thing if he does?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I don't want him to love me._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Why not?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Because it leads to disappointment and I don't want him to be disappointed in me. I don't deserve him._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: How could you possibly think that?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I'm not a good person._

Steve started to type when another message popped up.

 _MindifISlytherin: I have to get off soon and start getting ready to leave for the wedding._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: So, if you're going to a wedding, are you in the actual wedding party?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Ugh, unfortunately. I'm not even sure why because the bride hates me. Luckily the dress isn't too ugly. Weddings just aren't my thing._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: What is your thing?**_

 _MindifISlytherin: I dunno. My boyfriend is pretty fun to be around. He's kind of clueless but in an adorable way. Mom's pretty excited to meet him._

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I have to go but I'm sure you'll look beautiful at the wedding. Have fun, Slytherin.**_

 _MindifISlytherin: Try not to get in any trouble while I'm gone._

-0-

"Right on time." Roman smiled at Steve as she let him into the apartment, a robe wrapped around her body. "I just have to get dressed."

"Okay. I'll wait out here." Steve returned her smile and watched her as she disappeared into her bedroom.

"Hello, Captain Rogers." Penny greeted him warmly, digging in her purse to look for her keys. "You excited to meet the family?"

Steve chuckled. "I guess so. It'll be interesting to see where Roman comes from. It's been a while since I've been around a family, too."

"Well, her family is interesting." Finally having found her keys, Penny zipped her purse and headed toward the door then paused and turned back to face Steve. "Can I say something?"

"Of course."

Licking her lips nervously, Penny glanced at Roman's closed bedroom door then spoke. "Don't hurt her. She's hard to get to know and she's a little closed off but she's my best friend and I love her. She's made a lot of hard decisions and a couple of wrong ones but I think you're good for her."

"I like to think so." Steve said gently. "I don't plan on hurting her, Penny, and I promise to treat her with nothing but respect."

"Good. She deserves that."

"I'm glad she has you to look out for her," Steve told Penny. "You're a good friend."

"Steve!" Roman called from her room. "Could you take my suitcase to the car? I'll be down in a minute."

"Sure thing. I'll see you down there." Steve grabbed Roman's bag and joined Penny on the journey downstairs, making polite conversation on the way. He deposited the bag in the trunk of the black car waiting for them and leaned against the vehicle while he waited for Roman. Penny waved to him as she ventured down the sidewalk, her heels clicking on the cement. He glanced at his watch then back up at the building, his eyes scanning her windows for a sign of movement.

The next few minutes passed too quickly. The windows exploded, glass falling around him and clattering to the pavement as he shielded his eyes. Fire poured from the building, the horrible feeling in his stomach telling him that Roman was trapped. In an instant, he was moving to the building, the few feet between him and the car seeming like miles. His hand touched the door when another explosion caused the building to rumble and groan. Steve dove away from the crumbling building, yanking a panicking Penny away from it and covering her body with his own. His ears were ringing when he finally moved away from Penny and looked at the demolished building, fire crackling around the windows. Sirens came closer and Steve bolted into the chaos, running up the unstable stairs as far as he could go. Smoke filled the corridors and his lungs, causing him to cough violently. He pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth, a makeshift filter before the stairs collapsed completely, throwing him to the ground. There was no way to get to her apartment, he realized, at least not that he could see. He escaped the building and took several deep breaths of fresh oxygen as he found Penny outside.

"Did she get out?" Penny's voice was trembling and she was very close to breaking down entirely.

Steve said nothing, just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest as she started to sob. They both knew there was no way Roman was alive.

-0-

The firefighters had said it had been a gas leak that caused the building to explode. Steve read the report at least a hundred times. No matter how many times he read it, it didn't make sense. He was in the gym at Stark Tower, beating a punching bag within an inch of its life as he hated himself for not telling her how he felt before.

"Hey." A feminine voice pulled him out of his mind and he turned, panting from the exercise. Charlie was approaching him carefully. "What are you doing?"

"What do you want, Charlie?" He asked pointedly. "Is Penny okay?"

"Natasha's with her." She replied. "The poor girl hasn't been able to eat so I thin Nat's making her some tea."

"Good."

"Have you told her family yet?"

Steve recoiled like the question had punched him. "No. I haven't."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No." He clenched his jaw and turned back to the punching bag, striking it angrily until he managed to punch a hole through it.

"Steve." Charlie spoke gently, her fingers resting on his forearm.

Her tone made something in him break; he felt it snap as his chin began to quiver. His throat felt tight, like it was going to close as tears started to roll down his cheeks. Steve fell to his knees, sobbing with his whole body shaking. Charlie knelt next to him and pulled him close to her, her fingers stroking his hair as she let him cry.

"It'll be okay." Charlie whispered. "We're all here for you, Steve."

His chest heaved as he continued to sob, and he wrapped his arms around Charlie's waist, desperately needing to hold on to something. The team found them ten minutes later, wrapped around each other, Charlie murmuring gentle reassurances to him. Clint was the next one to move, kneeling next to Steve and putting an arm around his shoulders and the other arm around Charlie, cradling them both. Bruce and Tony followed, effectively forming a cocoon of sorts around their super soldier, doing their best to give unspoken promises of protection in the days to come.

-0-

Steve stared at the doors of the funeral home, steeling his nerves for what was about to happen. He took several deep breaths and swallowed hard. Finally he opened the door and entered, the sounds of mourning almost making him lose his resolve. He tapped a mourner on the shoulder gently. "I'm looking for Lillian Williams. Do you know where she is?"

He was pointed in the direction of a woman who had clearly been crying for the last several days. Steve passed through the crowd, the people silencing as he approached the mother of the woman he loved. Lillian looked up at him, sorrow in her eyes but a polite smile on her lips. "You must be Steve Rogers."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you for coming." Lillian sniffled, wiping at her eyes with a handkerchief.

"This is all my fault." He choked out the words, swallowing tears. "I am so sorry."

"This was no one's fault, Steve." Lillian replied, her own voice rough from crying. "And you are most certainly not to blame."

 **A/N: So, yeah...that happened. Please don't kill me. Do feel free to leave reviews, however, if you'd like. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed, followed, and favorited. You guys rock.**

 **AgentAW: How's that for things going badly? Lol**

 **Nisse: More about the baby will be revealed in the next few chapters. :)**


	11. Chapter 11

_After the pregnancy test came up positive, Roman only had one person she wanted to talk to and that was her brother, Sebastian. He was all too happy to see his baby sister (even though she was only three years younger than him), and hugged her enthusiastically._

" _Jingle Belle!" He squeezed her tightly before releasing her._

" _Wow. I haven't heard that in a really long time." Roman chuckled as she stepped inside his apartment, wiping her feet on the welcome mat. "Just plain Belle is fine."_

" _Do you want something to drink?" Sebastian ruffled her hair and moved past her into the kitchen to retrieve drinks._

" _Nope." Unwinding her scarf from around her neck, she tossed it on the back of the couch. "I actually had to talk to you about something."_

" _Sounds serious. Is everything okay?" He had gotten a beer for himself and took a long sip._

" _Yeah. Probably." She stammered, clenching her hands together. "I'm, um, I'm pregnant."_

 _Sebastian spat his drink out in shock. "What?"_

" _I'm pregnant."_

" _Are you sure?"_

 _In response she grabbed the pregnancy test from her purse. Sebastian took it and stared at it for a long few minutes before speaking. "Have you told mom yet?"_

" _No."_

" _Why not? She's going to be so excited to have a grandbaby. And it takes some of the pressure off of me and Emilia."_

" _I can't keep it." Roman scoffed. "I can't take care of myself."_

" _So what are you going to do?"_

" _I don't know, Seb. I need help."_

 _For a moment, looking into her eyes, Sebastian saw his little sister. He saw the little girl with pigtails crying because she fell and scraped her elbow. He saw the little girl who stood in protest when her parents wanted to chop down the tree with her tree house perched high in the branches. He saw the little girl who broke two knuckles punching a bully who was making fun of her gap toothed smile after she had lost her front teeth. He saw his scared little sister and wrapped his arms around her, gently this time._

" _We'll get it figured out, Belle. I promise."_

 _-0-_

Police crowded around the scene in front of them, mouths agape. The bodies of Cooper and Julia Fetters were laying on the floor of the nursery, matching bullet holes in the center of their foreheads. They had been shot execution style and the way they had fallen indicated they had been trying to protect the crib. Blood oozed on the floor and splattered the bars of the crib, staining the pale blue sheets inside. The rest of the apartment was destroyed, holes in the walls and picture frames shattered on the ground, littering the floor with glass.

But where was the baby?

-0-

For weeks after her apartment building exploded, Steve offered to let Penny stay with him at the Avenger's Tower. Penny had more than enough money to get a hotel so that's what she did, but she still visited Steve when she was through with work. Pepper had suggested that Penny take some time off but she needed to work to keep her mind busy. That's where she was when Lillian called her.

"Penny, have you heard about Hunter?" Lillian asked without introduction.

"No, is he okay? What happened?" Penny felt her skin go cold.

"Cooper and Julia were found dead in their apartment this morning and Hunter was gone." The older woman was on the verge of tears.

"Do the police know where he is or who took him?"

"No, they have no idea." Lillian choked back a sob. "He's just a baby, Penelope."

"I know, Mrs. Williams. I'm sure he'll be okay." Penny lied. People didn't kidnap babies for a good reason. "I'll contact the police and see if they have any leads. Try not to worry."

"Thank you, sweetheart." She paused for a moment. "I'll let you get back to work."

Penny hung up, ignoring the voice in the back of her head that said Roman's death and Hunter's disappearance was connected. She finished her work and asked Pepper to leave early, relieved when she was able to. She took the elevator to the Avengers living quarters and found Natasha sitting on the couch, playing Mario Kart with Sam. Ignoring the flutters in her stomach at the sight of the redhead, Penny cleared her throat. "Is Steve around?"

"He's at the gym." Sam replied, not turning around to look at Penny. "Damn it, Romanoff! Did you just blue shell me?"

"Where'd you learn to drive, Sam?" Natasha taunted. She smirked victoriously a moment later then turned around. "You want a turn?"

"Don't play with this woman." Sam warned. "She's brutal."

"Thanks but I'm not much for video games." Penny said.

"Come sit down, Penelope." Natasha patted the cushion next to her with a grin. "You can watch me annihilate Sam again."

-0-

Several weeks had passed since Roman's death and Steve wasn't doing much better. He worked out, slept, ate, but he barely interacted with the rest of the team. Charlie worried about him constantly and was on the verge of bringing home a new girl when a surprise showed up in her emergency room. A blonde with a baby tucked into her jacket pulled her aside. "You're friend with Steve Rogers, right?"

Startled, Charlie felt her jaw drop. "Yeah. Why do you want to know?"

"We've never met but my name is Roman." She said softly, looking around nervously.

"You died."

"No, I didn't. Look, Steve mentioned you were a doctor and I need your help." Roman said. "Hunter has a fever and I don't know what to do for him. I can't admit him because bad people are looking for us. Can you help us?"

"Of course. I'm getting ready to leave. We can bring him to the Tower. He'll be safe there." Charlie assured her. The ride to the Tower was tense but quiet and Charlie showed Roman and the baby to the medical faculties. Hunter started crying as soon as Roman put him down on the bed, reaching for her.

"How long has he been like this?" Charlie asked, retrieving a stethoscope so she could listen to his heart beat.

"A few days." Roman replied, wringing her hands nervously. "He won't let me put him down and keeps rubbing the side of his head."

A quick look in his ears identified the problem. "He has a pretty bad ear infection in both ears. That's why he doesn't want to be put down. I'll get an antibiotic ordered for him and it should help in a few days. For now, Tylenol will knock the fever down."

"Thank you so much." She looked as though she was on the verge of tears. Charlie filled a plastic spoon with infant's Tylenol and managed to get Hunter to take it all. Roman looked exhausted and terrified. Her clothes were dirty and had clearly been worn for a while.

"You look tired."

"Yeah. He hasn't been sleeping since he's been sick."

"Listen, you need to get some sleep and Hunter does too. I've got a crib set up for my daughter but Clint has her right now. Why don't you shower and take a nap and I'll watch Hunter? You both will feel much better if you do."

"I don't know. I really shouldn't be here..."

"Roman, what's going on?" Charlie asked as she picked up Hunter, rubbing the baby's back and shushing him quietly. "Are you in trouble?"

Licking her lips, Roman nodded. "I've been on the run for a few weeks."

"You're safe here. Take a shower, eat something and take a nap. Nobody can hurt you here." She said. "Hunter shouldn't be traveling when he's this sick."

"We can't stay longer than a day or two."

Charlie nodded. "You can shower in my bathroom. I've got some clean clothes that will fit you, too."

"Thank you, Dr. Harrison."

"Call me Charlie."

 **A/N: Ta-daaaaa! She's not really dead! I had you guys going though. Anyhow, please leave reviews. They're always so lovely to get. A giant thanks to those of you who read/follow/favorite/review. You all are amazing. Ta for now!**


	12. Chapter 12

_Charlie,_

 _I'm sorry. I have to go._

 _Roman_

Steve stared at the note on Charlie's counter top, his jaw clenched and his blood cold. Charlie came out of the bathroom using a towel to dry her hair. Holding up the paper, he said, "What is this?"

"What is what?" Charlie asked as she took the note from him. Turning, she moved quickly for the nursery but found it empty. "They're gone."

"She was here?"

"She found me at the hospital and asked for help. She had a baby with her and he was sick."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Steve took a deep breath to steady himself.

"She said she would stay a couple of days. Hunter needed the rest, he still does." Charlie spoke quickly. "Tony has surveillance for the building, right? Maybe we can see when she left."

Steve was already moving toward the door, Charlie close behind him. The pair separated at the elevator so Charlie could find Tony and get the tapes. Steve headed for the lobby and out the door; his eyes scanning the faces walking past him. Starting to move with the flow of traffic, he made it four blocks before his cell phone rang.

"She managed to sneak out unnoticed. She's gone, Steve."

-0-

Steve stared at his laptop, tapping his thumb on the desk indecisively. Finally his fingers moved to the keyboard and typed.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: It's Steve.**_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Roman, I know you're alive.**_

Seconds ticked by, the sound mocking him as he waited for a reply.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: I deserve an explanation.**_

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: If you're in trouble, I can help. Let me help you.**_

There was no reply and Steve fell asleep at his laptop waiting for an answer.

-0-

Roman was sleeping with Hunter curled up next to her when his crying jolted her awake, followed by a rough kick to her spine. "Get up, whore."

Hunter screamed as she clutched him closer while she tried to identify her assailant. Jack Jones towered over her, eyes gleaming like oil in the dim light. "Did you honestly think you could hide from us?"

The baby was snatched from her arms and Jack grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking it back and forcing her to look up at him. "You'll learn not to mess with us."

He slapped her so hard that she tasted blood. Head reeling, she tried to shake the fog out of her brain and was rewarded with another slap. Jack released her hair and she fell forward, her palms slapping the floor as she caught herself. Using her peripheral vision, she counted two other men; one of whom was holding the squirming Hunter. She couldn't see any weapons. Clearly they had planned on their brawn to get whatever they wanted accomplished.

Spitting blood from her mouth, Roman spoke. "I know what you did to his parents."

"No, you killed his parents," Jack snarled. "When you pulled your little 'faking your death' stunt. You left us no choice but to pull you back in line."

A boot was shoved into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She grunted as she tried to catch her breath but managed to stand a minute later; staring her assailant in the face she growled, "Go to hell."

Charging the thug who had Hunter, she pulled the baby close to her and kicked the thug in the knee, effectively popping it out of place. Jack and the other thug were taken off guard for only a few seconds, but it was enough for Roman to shield Hunter with her jacket and dive through the window and race down the sidewalk. There had been a reason she chose the motel room closest to the street. Jack swore as he and his henchman took off after her but she disappeared into a crowd.

-0-

Roman winced as she looked at her reflection in the diner's restroom. There was a fresh gash along her hair line, matting her newly blonde hair with blood and glass glinting in the fluorescent lighting. Hunter gurgled happily as he gnawed on a cookie that a waitress had given him when they entered. Without tweezers, she only had her fingers to dig the glass out but that proved useless as she just shoved the glass deeper. Sighing as she glanced at Hunter, she knew what she had to do. She turned on her phone and turned on her online chat app. It had been a surprise when she found out Steve was her online buddy and she felt betrayed considering she bared her heart to him. The irony that she felt betrayed after what she had done to Steve was not lost on her.

 _MindifISlytherin: Help me._

His response was quick.

 _ **WhatDidIMiss: Where are you?**_

As soon as he got the address, Steve was out the door; moving as fast as he could to the diner. But by the time he got there, Roman was gone again. A middle aged waitress was holding a sleeping baby, rocking him gently as she noticed Steve. "Steve Rogers?"

"Yeah." Steve approached cautiously, regarding her carefully. "Who are you?"

"My name is Elaine. There was a girl who said you'd come for her and the baby."

"Where is she?"

Elaine smiled at the sleeping baby then offered him to Steve. "She asked that you take the baby to Charlie. Do you know who that is?"

"Yeah, she's a friend of mine." Steve took the baby gingerly. "Where is Roman?"

"I don't know." She admitted. "But she was in bad shape, sir. If I were you, I'd take this baby and get him safe."

"Thanks for the help." He headed out of the diner, shifting Hunter to one arm so he could call Natasha.

"Yes?" Natasha answered.

"I need your help finding Roman."

"She's dead, Steve."

"Good thing you're good at finding ghosts." Steve ended the call and went back to the Tower.

-0-

Freezing water splashing in Roman's face yanked her back to reality as she sputtered and tried to catch her breath. Jack's goons had grabbed her two blocks from the diner and would have gone back for Hunter had Steve not shown up. She wasn't sure where she was; she only knew the room was cold and made mostly of cement, leading her to believe she was in a basement or factory of some sort. It was too dark to see much. Currently she was handcuffed to a pipe about ten feet off the ground, leaving her hanging by her wrists. Her shoulders were screaming in protest and she coughed as she tried to get the water out of her lungs.

"Boss wants you to stay awake."

"Your boss can go to hell." Roman panted.

"I'll meet you there." Jack taunted. "Why did you have to make things difficult?"

"I won't be used in whatever sick games you have planned for Steve."

He sighed and slipped his hands in his pockets. "You understand that you have no choice. You either do as I say or you die."

"Then kill me."

He snarled at her response, bolting forward to grab her face in his hands and squeezing until she whimpered. "Make no mistake—I will kill you. And I'll make damn sure that Steve Rogers is there to watch you take your last breath."

Yanking her face free, Roman asked, "What did he do to you? Why do you want him dead?"

Wiping her blood and spit from her hand with a handkerchief, Jack shrugged. "I suppose there's no danger in telling you this now since you'll be dead soon. My daughter was in New York during the invasion. She died because _Captain America_ was too busy saving his teammates' asses instead of civilians."

"The Avengers did the best they could."

"He should have saved her!" Jack screamed, causing her to jump then wince at the pain the movement caused. "What good is a hero if he can't save anyone?"

"Killing me won't bring your daughter back." She countered. "Neither with killing Steve."

"I don't care."

Footsteps echoed as he left the room, leaving her alone with his thugs and his permission to do what they wanted with her.

 **A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to update. Both of my kiddos have been sick and I didn't have any time for writing. I do hope you all enjoyed this chapter though. This story has maybe 5 more chapters til the end. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Steve was staring at the sleeping baby in the crib in his apartment. Charlie had picked it out for him when he called and told her he was bringing Hunter back to the Tower. Surely this wasn't Roman's baby; she would have told him if she was a mother. That was the kind of thing you told people, right?

"Am I interrupting?" Natasha entered the apartment, Penny close behind her. The blonde immediately went to the crib and checked on the baby she had been sure was dead.

"No." Steve murmured as he turned away from the baby. Noticing the file in Natasha's hand, he said, "What did you find out about Roman?"

"Her real name is Belle Williams."

"Real name?"

"Strippers often use fake names as an attempt to keep themselves safe from stalkers or 'admirers'." Natasha replied, handing the folder to him. "Anyway, she worked at a club not far from here actually. She worked there for several years for one Jack Jones. She received several payments from him starting about six months ago."

"That was around the time we started dating." He sighed harshly. "She was a stripper?"

"She never mentioned it?" Natasha asked.

"No. But then I never asked, either. So, who's the kid?"

"I believe Penelope can answer that."

Penny approached Steve nervously, twisting her rings on her fingers. "Um, it's her son."

"Why haven't I seen him before?"

"She gave him up for adoption. She didn't want to keep him after she found out she was pregnant." Penny licked her lips anxiously. "She told everybody else that it was from a one night stand but she told me the truth; one of her clients raped her at the club. She didn't want to abort but she knew she couldn't keep him either."

"Why didn't she report him?" Steve asked.

Penny scoffed. "Are you kidding? Nothing happens to rapists because it's made out to be the girl's fault. She went to the police and they brushed her off. They said she's a stripper so what did she expect to happen to her?"

"They said it was her fault?"

"Yeah. So she did what she could for the baby. She found him a good home and even had an open adoption but she couldn't bear to look at him."

"So why was she taking money from the club owner?" Natasha asked Penny, one hand moving to rest on the blonde's shoulder.

"I don't know." Penny shrugged.

"Well, our first priority is finding her. We can figure out what the money was for later." Steve turned to Natasha. "Do you know where she is?"

"Our intelligence hasn't found Jack Jones yet, but we will. Clint's looking for him right now. Tony's trying to bribe his way to information."

"Is he having any luck?"

"Why, yes he is." Tony swaggered into the room as only a Stark could. "I found out your little girlfriend is being held in an old warehouse uptown. Why is it always old warehouses, do you think? Why can't anybody ever be kidnapped at the Plaza?"

"Tony, now isn't the time." Steve mentally rolled his eyes. "We have to go get her. Penny, can you stay here with the baby?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'm going to call Roman's mom, too. She was worried about Hunter."

Steve nodded once then walked off to suit up.

-0-

Roman knew that her guards had underestimated her. She was handcuffed with her hands above her head, hanging from a pipe and her feet nowhere near the floor. What they also underestimated was her flexibility and core strength; two things that came with being a stripper. She also knew that whatever her plan was, she was going to have to time it exactly. But her arms were so tired and ached from hanging there.

"Hey!" She shouted at her guard. "I have to go to the bathroom."

The guard grunted as he walked toward her and Roman waited until he reached up to unlock her handcuffs before she kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him then she wrapped her legs around his neck, cradling his head between her thighs. She squeezed as tightly as she could, wincing as he slapped at her legs to let him go. She squeezed tighter, the handcuffs cutting into her wrists as she pulled herself up and give herself better leverage. The guard was almost unconscious when something hard hit her square in the back and made her lose her grip on him. Another hard hit and the guard was free. Gasping as he clutched his throat, he glared at her and she held his gaze defiantly, trying to catch her own breath. He backhanded her hard enough to make her see stars and raised his hand to strike her again when Jack spoke.

"Enough. The Avengers are on their way here." He was practically giddy.

"Steve." Roman whispered breathlessly. He was on his way to his death and there was nothing she could do about it. Well, maybe one thing. It was a risk but Steve didn't deserve to die. "Hey, Jones. You know you're going to die today right?"

"No, I won't. Steve Rogers will be the one to die and you'll follow soon after." He barely looked at her as he checked his phone. The sound of fighting at the front of the warehouse made her heart jump. "Oh, fantastic. He's here."

Roman stared into the darkness in horrified anticipation as she waited for Steve to walk to his death. She heard someone behind her and started to kick wildly. "Let go of me!"

At least one of her kicks landed as she heard groaning behind her and footsteps running toward her. Jack was ready, gun in hand when Steve finally appeared in front of them, breathing hard from whatever fight he had endured to get to her. "Roman, are you okay?"

"Steve, just get out of here." Now that he was here in front of him, the gravity of the situation hit her and she started to cry. "He's going to kill you."

"Not today." Steve assured her, his shield in front of him. Addressing Jack, he said, "Let the girl go and come quietly. Nobody has to die."

"Yes, somebody does." Jack said, pulling the hammer back on the gun. "You do."

"Please don't." Roman shrieked. "You blame him for killing your daughter?"

"It's his fault."

"Then get true revenge." Tears ran down her face. "I'm pregnant."

That was all Jack needed to hear, a new plan forming as he laughed devilishly. He turned and fired his gun at the same moment that Steve shouted and threw his shield. Roman gasped as the bullet hit square in her stomach, a flare of burning pain. The shield hit Jack in the chest and knocked him on the ground. Steve didn't know if he was alive or not and he didn't care. He bolted to Roman and broke her free as gently as he could. She was shaking and crying as blood covered her stomach.

"You're gonna be all right, Roman." Stroking her hair out of her face, Steve tried to sound sure. Natasha was at his side a second later, ripping open a bandage and applying pressure to her stomach.

"I'm so s—sorry." Roman stammered, shrieking in pain as Natasha tried to staunch the blood flow. Steve grasped her hand tightly and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

"It's okay, Ro. Just don't worry about it."

"I love you." She sobbed as she squeezed her eyes closed.

"Steve, we have to get her to a hospital." Clint said, as he appeared next to Roman.

Steve picked her up gingerly and she curled against him, her fingers clutching his uniform as tightly as she could. With every step, she whimpered and he pressed a kiss against her hair and tried to stop the shattering of his own heart.

 **A/N: So, I'm going to stop there but only because there's only one chapter left. I went back and revised the crap out of the story so instead of five chapters, there's only one. I do hope you all enjoyed this one. Please feel free to leave a review. I love you guys!**


	14. Chapter 14

Steve sat outside of the hospital room in a stiff, plastic chair with his arms folded over his chest as he reviewed the last twenty four hours. Roman had been kidnapped then found and now he was waiting to find out if she was still pregnant. That had been a shock that he wasn't sure to think of. Roman refused to let him see her, something that Penny and Charlie made sure to enforce, no matter how sympathetic they might be to his plight.

"Steve?"

He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Penny approach him. Sitting in the chair next to him, she sighed. "I called her mom. She'll be here soon."

"How's she doing?"

"She'll be okay. Dr. Harrison's a good surgeon."

"And the baby?"

Penny licked her lips. "I think she should tell you about that."

"How can she when she won't let me see her?" He jerked out of his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

"Steve, I know you're frustrated but you have to be patient. There's a lot she wants to explain to you."

"Then let me in so I can talk to her."

She shook her head. "I can't. I'm sorry."

"Penny, please. You have to tell me how she is; how the baby is. Anything." Steve sighed and very seriously considered begging on his knees. "I need to know."

Penny held his gaze, staring into those blue eyes brimming with tears, and her resolve broke. "You can't tell her I said anything."

"I won't."

"Roman's devastated. She won't talk to anyone, she won't look at anyone, she just stares out the window. The only thing she's said was that she didn't want to see you. But if you ask me-" She paused and sighed deeply. "I think that she wants you there."

"Help me. Help me be there for her."

Checking her watch, Penny stood. "I have to go run some errands for Ms. Potts. I'll be gone for a while so nobody will be guarding her room."

Steve smiled at her and gave her a hug. "Thank you."

He waited until she disappeared down the hallway before opening the door to Roman's room. It was quiet, not even the television was on. Roman was on her side, facing away from him and the blanket wrapped tightly around her. She didn't move when he entered and he slipped his jacket off, draping it over the arm of a chair tucked into the corner. He wasn't sure if he should speak or not because he didn't know if she'd kick him out if he did. The clock ticking echoed in his ears as he decided what to do. "Roman?"

"Please go away." Her voice sounded so small.

He walked around the bed and knelt in front of her, brushing her hair away from her tear stained eyes. Stroking her cheek with his thumb, he said gently, "If you really want me to go, I will. But I wanted you to know that I'm here for you because I love you."

Roman sniffled and let out a shuddering breath. "I'm so sorry."

"It'll be okay." He told her softly with a small smile.

Wiping her eyes with the blanket, she replied, "I lied to you the whole time we were dating."

"We don't have to talk about this now."

"I need to tell you everything." The whole sordid story poured out of her mouth and Steve listened to every word, on his knees in front of her hospital bed. When she was finally done, she waited for him to reply. Instead of speaking, he kissed her and she started to cry again. Resting her forehead against his, she said, "I thought for sure you'd hate me."

"I don't think I could even if I wanted to." Steve admitted with a grin. "What about the baby?"

Roman shook her head. "There's no baby. I was never pregnant."

"Then why-"

"To save your life." She said. "I figured he'd jump at the chance and he did."

"Don't do that ever again." Steve chastised her gently. "You don't have to protect me."

"Yeah I do, you star spangled ding dong."

"Why?"

"Because I love you too."

Steve kissed her forehead and stood, much to Roman's displeasure.

"Where are you going?"

He didn't answer, just gestured for her to scoot over and she did, allowing him to squish into the bed beside her. The bed was too small for both of them but he wrapped his arms around her and Roman refused to move once she was tucked beside him.

"I'm a stripper."

"I know."

"Hunter is my baby."

"I know."

"I love you."

"I know."

-0-

Two days later, Roman was discharged and allowed to go home, which Steve insisted was his apartment until she found one of her own. Honestly, he'd have been happy with her staying with him indefinitely but he respected her wishes. Waking up to Steve was the best part of Roman's morning (even though she'd never admit it).

"Have you decided what to do about Hunter?" Steve asked as they lay in bed early one morning.

"I'm not sure what to do." Roman confessed. "I don't feel like he'll be safe with anyone else but at the same time I can't keep him either. I don't know how to take care of a baby."

"If you wanted to keep him, you could learn."

"I don't know if I'm ready to be someone's mom. I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

"What if I'm a bad mom? What if I can't take care of him?"

Steve propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her, brushing the hair out of her face with a smile. "Whatever you want to do, I'll support you. But it might be kind of nice to have a little kid around."

"Does Captain America want to be a father?" Roman teased.

He chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know if I want those things anymore. Until recently, I didn't think I wanted a relationship but things change. Both of you can stay here, with me, until you decide what to do."

"We have a lot of shopping to do then."

"In a little while." Steve promised, leaning down to kiss her again. "But first, breakfast."

-0-

Roman played with Hunter on the floor, watching the baby as he found himself fascinated with his toes. She was waiting for Clint and Charlie to make a decision and the tension was killing her. Finally, they emerged from the bedroom with neutral expressions on their faces. Nervous of their answer, Roman asked, "What did you decide?"

Charlie's face broke out in a smile. "We'd love to have Hunter become a part of our family. We'd love to have both of you become part of our family."

"Really? Roman couldn't believe it.

"Absolutely." Clint grinned as he slipped his arm around Charlie's waist. "The more the merrier. Does he happen to like arrows at all?"

Hunter squealed and clapped his hands gleefully, causing the adults to laugh with him. As Charlie and Clint sat down next to their newest addition to the family, Roman decided that this was a family she could be happy to have for Hunter. He'd be protected and loved forever and definitely be provided for. She had Steve and that was what she wanted and honestly, he was exactly what she needed. They loved each other for exactly what they were.

Even if they started out as strangers in a chat room.

 **A/N: So there we have the end of the story. I do hope you guys liked my effort to tackle Cap's character and he wasn't too out of character. I really think there's more to him than the apple pie goody goody that a lot of fics display him as. But that could just be me. Thanks to everyone who sent good thoughts when my kids were sick. They're all better now which is why I was able to update this quickly.**

 **A huge thanks to my readers/followers/favorites/reviewers. You guys are the reason I write the stories. I love all of you!**


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